US7853032B2 - Audio shoe contact for a hearing device - Google Patents
Audio shoe contact for a hearing device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US7853032B2 US7853032B2 US11/512,306 US51230606A US7853032B2 US 7853032 B2 US7853032 B2 US 7853032B2 US 51230606 A US51230606 A US 51230606A US 7853032 B2 US7853032 B2 US 7853032B2
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- hearing device
- audio shoe
- circuit board
- audio
- contact
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active, expires
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Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/55—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception using an external connection, either wireless or wired
- H04R25/556—External connectors, e.g. plugs or modules
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/60—Mounting or interconnection of hearing aid parts, e.g. inside tips, housings or to ossicles
- H04R25/602—Mounting or interconnection of hearing aid parts, e.g. inside tips, housings or to ossicles of batteries
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/65—Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a hearing device with a printed circuit board, which is equipped with electronic signal processing elements and comprises the at least one connector pad for an audio shoe, and an audio shoe which comprises at least one contact spring for connection to the circuit board.
- Numerous hearing devices are able to inject audio signals via a special audio shoe.
- an external audio device is plugged into the audio shoe.
- the audio shoe then forms the interface between the hearing device and the external audio device.
- An audio shoe usually features a number of contacts, e.g. four, which must be contacted with corresponding connections on the circuit board of the hearing device.
- the circuit board is usually located in the center region of the hearing device housing, whereas the audio shoe is plugged into or arranged on the end (battery compartment end) opposite to the receiver, a special intermediate piece is needed to connect the contacts of these two elements.
- An intermediate piece ZS of this type is shown in FIG. 1 . It is contacted on the circuit board LP, which is equipped with components for signal processing purposes.
- the intermediate piece ZS is mostly realized as an injection molding part.
- Metal contacts MK are injected or molded into the intermediate piece ZS, said metal contacts then lying on the exterior of the hearing device. These contacts often corrode, thereby resulting in contact problems between the circuit board LP and an audio shoe not shown in FIG. 1 . For this reason, special cover flaps are generally required for the audio shoe.
- a further disadvantage of the separate intermediate piece ZS is that said separate part causes the assembly time for a hearing device to increase.
- Patent specification DE 41 09 306 C1 describes a hearing device with electrical contact means arranged in a battery compartment. An external programming device can thus be connected to a programmable hearing device element.
- European patent specification EP 0 334 837 B1 further presents a hearing device with an audio shoe. Contact springs located in the audio shoe create contact with the housing screws of the hearing device.
- the object of the present invention is thus to simplify the assembly of a hearing device, to which an audio shoe can be connected and to reduce the susceptibility to interference of the contact between the audio shoe and the circuit board.
- a hearing device with a printed circuit board, which is equipped with electronic signal processing elements and which comprises at least one connector pad for an audio shoe, and an audio shoe, which comprises at least one contact spring for connection to the circuit board, with the at least one contact spring being designed such that it directly touches the at least one connector pad.
- the special contact spring(s) can dispense with an expensive plastic part provided with conductor paths. Corrosion problems thus also do not apply, which otherwise occur with the conventional intermediate pieces. Furthermore, the relatively complex assembly step is dispensed with whereby conductor paths for the audio shoe must be soldered onto the circuit board of the hearing device in order to increase the contact reliability between these two components.
- the audio shoe preferably comprises a battery retaining facility and can be at least partially plugged into a battery compartment of the hearing device.
- a stable mechanical connection between the hearing device and the audio shoe can hereby be achieved.
- the at least one contact spring is advantageously supported by the battery retaining facility.
- the contact springs hereby ensure an adequate contact force against the circuit board of the hearing device, despite their relatively large length.
- the at least one contact spring can be partially molded into the battery retaining facility.
- the contact springs can hereby be very effectively stabilized in their position.
- the audio shoe can represent a cover of the battery compartment of the hearing device. A separate cover can thus be dispensed with if an audio shoe is used.
- the audio shoe is permanently installed onto the hearing device.
- the user can thus always connect an external audio device to his/her hearing device without having to keep a special adapter ready or look for one.
- FIG. 1 shows a view of a circuit board with an intermediate piece for contacting an audio shoe according to the prior art
- FIG. 2 shows a hearing device with an audio shoe according to the invention
- FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the connection region of the contact springs with a circuit board
- FIG. 4 shows a 3D view of an audio shoe according to the invention.
- an inventive behind-the-ear hearing device HG is equipped with an audio shoe AS on the end facing away from the frog stud TH. Furthermore, a battery BA and a printed circuit board LP can be seen in the image in FIG. 2 . Contact springs KF create the contact between the audio shoe AS and the printed circuit board LP.
- the audio shoe is thus directly assembled and/or integrated into the hearing device housing. This means that the audio shoe cannot be accommodated in and detached from the hearing device as is otherwise usual.
- the audio shoe can naturally still be realized in a pluggable fashion. In both cases, the hearing device can be operated in standard mode or in audio shoe mode.
- FIG. 3 the section of FIG. 2 is shown enlarged, which illustrates the connection region between the contact springs KF and the circuit board LP. Only three out of the four contact springs can be directly identified in the Figure. A fourth contact spring can be identified schematically in the background.
- the contact springs KF are molded into a battery retaining segment BH. The springy segment of the relatively long contact springs (see FIG. 2 ) is thus kept short, so that a correspondingly high spring force can be achieved at the end of the contact springs KF.
- contact regions KB so-called contact pads, are provided on the underside of the circuit board LP. Only three of the four contact regions can be identified in FIG. 3 , and the position of the fourth is only indicated by a reference line.
- the four contact springs KF of the audio shoe AS each indirectly press on the respective contact regions KB of the circuit board. This allows a special intermediate piece between the audio shoe AS and the circuit board LP to be dispensed with, which, as the case may be, causes contact problems.
- FIG. 4 shows the audio shoe AS in a state removed from the hearing device HG.
- the audio shoe AS is made of a plastic shape which is composed inter alia of the battery holder BH.
- the four contact springs KF are partially molded into the battery retainer, with their ends remaining free.
- the battery retainer BH is inserted into the battery compartment of the hearing device when the audio shoe is assembled onto the hearing device.
- the audio shoe AS and/or the part of the audio shoe with the contact interface KS then forms the battery compartment lid.
- the audio shoe according to the invention thus combines the four functionalities (audio shoe, intermediate piece, battery retainer and battery compartment cover) as shown in FIG. 4 .
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Neurosurgery (AREA)
- Otolaryngology (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Battery Mounting, Suspending (AREA)
- Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims (9)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
DE102005041356 | 2005-08-31 | ||
DE102005041356.0 | 2005-08-31 | ||
DE102005041356A DE102005041356B4 (en) | 2005-08-31 | 2005-08-31 | Audio shoe contact for a hearing aid |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20070047751A1 US20070047751A1 (en) | 2007-03-01 |
US7853032B2 true US7853032B2 (en) | 2010-12-14 |
Family
ID=37684733
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/512,306 Active 2029-10-14 US7853032B2 (en) | 2005-08-31 | 2006-08-29 | Audio shoe contact for a hearing device |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US7853032B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1761107B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE102005041356B4 (en) |
DK (1) | DK1761107T3 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20070258610A1 (en) * | 1999-04-13 | 2007-11-08 | Sonionmicrotronic Nederland B.V. | Microphone for a hearing aid |
Families Citing this family (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102010014316A1 (en) | 2010-04-09 | 2011-10-13 | Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. | Hearing aid with audio shoe |
DE102010051626B4 (en) * | 2010-11-17 | 2015-07-09 | Yamaichi Electronics Deutschland Gmbh | Hearing aid, connector, use of a connector and system for connecting a hearing aid with a cable |
DE102013004020A1 (en) | 2013-02-28 | 2014-09-11 | Uwe Flaig | Hearing aid with audio input |
JP2017520187A (en) | 2014-06-18 | 2017-07-20 | ゼットパワー, エルエルシー | Voltage regulator and control circuit for silver zinc battery in hearing aid |
MX359820B (en) | 2014-06-18 | 2018-10-11 | Zpower Llc | Hearing aid battery door module. |
USD757945S1 (en) * | 2015-06-16 | 2016-05-31 | Zpower, Llc | Hearing aid battery door |
USD757944S1 (en) * | 2015-06-16 | 2016-05-31 | Zpower, Llc | Hearing aid battery door |
EP3469815B1 (en) * | 2016-06-10 | 2019-11-20 | Sivantos Pte. Ltd. | Frame for fixation of electronic components in a hearing aid, hearing aid and kit for a hearing aid |
Citations (17)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4539439A (en) | 1983-04-18 | 1985-09-03 | Unitron Industries Ltd. | Plugs, receptacles and hearing aids |
CH673743A5 (en) | 1987-08-11 | 1990-03-30 | Siemens Ag | Hearing aid with direct audio input - provided by audio connection cooperating with pivoted battery compartment |
CH673740A5 (en) | 1987-08-11 | 1990-03-30 | Rexton Int Ag | Hearing aid using folded circuit board - has circuit components attached to different foil sections of circuit board |
EP0362189A2 (en) | 1988-09-29 | 1990-04-04 | VIENNATONE Gesellschaft m.b.H. | Battery space with a contact arrangement |
DD279365A1 (en) | 1989-01-05 | 1990-05-30 | Koelleda Funkwerk | AUDIO INPUT FOR A HOERGERAET |
CH675657A5 (en) | 1987-08-11 | 1990-10-15 | Siemens Ag | Audio shoe for hearing aid - has holder preventing flexure of free ends of contact springs |
US4964170A (en) | 1988-03-22 | 1990-10-16 | Viennatone Gesellschaft M.B.H. | Hearing aid |
DE4109306C1 (en) | 1991-03-21 | 1992-07-09 | Siemens Ag, 8000 Muenchen, De | |
DE9306204U1 (en) | 1992-09-10 | 1993-06-24 | Siemens AG, 8000 München | Adapter and hearing aid device that is technically and functionally related to it |
EP0806885A1 (en) | 1996-05-06 | 1997-11-12 | Phonak Ag | Holding device for accessories mountable on a hearing aid |
DE29819993U1 (en) | 1998-11-09 | 1999-01-14 | Siemens Audiologische Technik Gmbh, 91058 Erlangen | Hearing aid with audio and / or programming connection |
US20010043709A1 (en) | 2000-05-17 | 2001-11-22 | Frank Panitzsch | Hearing aid fitted with a rechargeable battery, and application of such a rechargeable battery |
US6456720B1 (en) | 1999-12-10 | 2002-09-24 | Sonic Innovations | Flexible circuit board assembly for a hearing aid |
EP1317163A2 (en) | 2002-10-22 | 2003-06-04 | Phonak Ag | Hearing aid |
US20040062409A1 (en) | 2000-12-19 | 2004-04-01 | Batting Jes Anker | Communication system |
WO2004112431A1 (en) | 2003-06-13 | 2004-12-23 | Oticon A/S | Electrical and mechanical connection between head worn communication device and accessory thereto |
US20070019834A1 (en) * | 2004-03-31 | 2007-01-25 | Widex A/S | Component for a hearing aid and a hearing aid |
-
2005
- 2005-08-31 DE DE102005041356A patent/DE102005041356B4/en not_active Withdrawn - After Issue
-
2006
- 2006-08-10 EP EP06118736A patent/EP1761107B1/en active Active
- 2006-08-10 DK DK06118736.5T patent/DK1761107T3/en active
- 2006-08-29 US US11/512,306 patent/US7853032B2/en active Active
Patent Citations (22)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4539439A (en) | 1983-04-18 | 1985-09-03 | Unitron Industries Ltd. | Plugs, receptacles and hearing aids |
CH675657A5 (en) | 1987-08-11 | 1990-10-15 | Siemens Ag | Audio shoe for hearing aid - has holder preventing flexure of free ends of contact springs |
CH673743A5 (en) | 1987-08-11 | 1990-03-30 | Siemens Ag | Hearing aid with direct audio input - provided by audio connection cooperating with pivoted battery compartment |
CH673740A5 (en) | 1987-08-11 | 1990-03-30 | Rexton Int Ag | Hearing aid using folded circuit board - has circuit components attached to different foil sections of circuit board |
EP0334837B1 (en) | 1988-03-22 | 1994-06-29 | VIENNATONE Gesellschaft m.b.H. | Hearing aid with audio input plug |
US4964170A (en) | 1988-03-22 | 1990-10-16 | Viennatone Gesellschaft M.B.H. | Hearing aid |
EP0362189A2 (en) | 1988-09-29 | 1990-04-04 | VIENNATONE Gesellschaft m.b.H. | Battery space with a contact arrangement |
DD279365A1 (en) | 1989-01-05 | 1990-05-30 | Koelleda Funkwerk | AUDIO INPUT FOR A HOERGERAET |
DE4109306C1 (en) | 1991-03-21 | 1992-07-09 | Siemens Ag, 8000 Muenchen, De | |
US5188540A (en) | 1991-03-21 | 1993-02-23 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Hearing aid having electrical contact means arranged in a battery compartment |
DE9306204U1 (en) | 1992-09-10 | 1993-06-24 | Siemens AG, 8000 München | Adapter and hearing aid device that is technically and functionally related to it |
EP0806885A1 (en) | 1996-05-06 | 1997-11-12 | Phonak Ag | Holding device for accessories mountable on a hearing aid |
DE29819993U1 (en) | 1998-11-09 | 1999-01-14 | Siemens Audiologische Technik Gmbh, 91058 Erlangen | Hearing aid with audio and / or programming connection |
US6456720B1 (en) | 1999-12-10 | 2002-09-24 | Sonic Innovations | Flexible circuit board assembly for a hearing aid |
US20010043709A1 (en) | 2000-05-17 | 2001-11-22 | Frank Panitzsch | Hearing aid fitted with a rechargeable battery, and application of such a rechargeable battery |
DE10023907A1 (en) | 2000-05-17 | 2001-11-22 | Hansaton Akustik Gmbh | Behind-the-ear battery operated hearing aid, has electrical components and flat battery enclosed in hearing aid housing |
US20040062409A1 (en) | 2000-12-19 | 2004-04-01 | Batting Jes Anker | Communication system |
EP1346602B1 (en) | 2000-12-19 | 2004-08-11 | Oticon A/S | Communication system |
EP1317163A2 (en) | 2002-10-22 | 2003-06-04 | Phonak Ag | Hearing aid |
WO2004112431A1 (en) | 2003-06-13 | 2004-12-23 | Oticon A/S | Electrical and mechanical connection between head worn communication device and accessory thereto |
US20060126875A1 (en) | 2003-06-13 | 2006-06-15 | Lasse Kragelund | Electrical and mechanical connection between head worn communication device and accessory thereto |
US20070019834A1 (en) * | 2004-03-31 | 2007-01-25 | Widex A/S | Component for a hearing aid and a hearing aid |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
Markus Heerlein, "Audioschuhkontakt direkt auf PCB", Jul. 1, 2005, pp. 1-5, Siemens AG. |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20070258610A1 (en) * | 1999-04-13 | 2007-11-08 | Sonionmicrotronic Nederland B.V. | Microphone for a hearing aid |
US8369552B2 (en) * | 1999-04-13 | 2013-02-05 | Sonion Nederland B.V. | Microphone for a hearing aid |
US8824713B2 (en) | 1999-04-13 | 2014-09-02 | Sonion Nederland B.V. | Microphone for a hearing aid |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP1761107A2 (en) | 2007-03-07 |
DK1761107T3 (en) | 2013-03-18 |
EP1761107B1 (en) | 2012-12-12 |
EP1761107A3 (en) | 2009-10-28 |
DE102005041356B4 (en) | 2009-07-23 |
US20070047751A1 (en) | 2007-03-01 |
DE102005041356A1 (en) | 2007-03-01 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: SIEMENS AUDIOLOGISCHE TECHNIK GMBH, GERMANY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:HEERLEIN, MARKUS;HO, WAI KIT DAVID;KASZTELAN, THOMAS;SIGNING DATES FROM 20060822 TO 20060912;REEL/FRAME:018478/0136 Owner name: SIEMENS AUDIOLOGISCHE TECHNIK GMBH, GERMANY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:HEERLEIN, MARKUS;HO, WAI KIT DAVID;KASZTELAN, THOMAS;REEL/FRAME:018478/0136;SIGNING DATES FROM 20060822 TO 20060912 |
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STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
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FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 4 |
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: SIVANTOS GMBH, GERMANY Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:SIEMENS AUDIOLOGISCHE TECHNIK GMBH;REEL/FRAME:036090/0688 Effective date: 20150225 |
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Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 8TH YEAR, LARGE ENTITY (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M1552) Year of fee payment: 8 |
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Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 12TH YEAR, LARGE ENTITY (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M1553); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY Year of fee payment: 12 |